


Lucid

by dis_binch



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Ectobiology, Gender-neutral Reader, Hate to Love, Multi, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Reader Is Not Chara, Reader Is Not Frisk, Reader-Insert, definitely not projecting at alllll, i love papyrus so reader loves papyrus, papyrus is sorta innocent but he's not stupid lol, reader has a tiny crush on toriel whooooops, reader is self-aware, reader's gonna hate sans for most of this lmao, yeah sans is gonna have a chubby ecto-bod sue me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-25
Updated: 2017-10-07
Packaged: 2018-11-04 15:15:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,794
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10993536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dis_binch/pseuds/dis_binch
Summary: (Summary updated 8/19/17)During an attempt to literally run away from your problems, you somehow find yourself in Undertale. Y'know, that rpg that came out a few years ago? Yeah, that one.You quickly find that your knowledge of the game comes in handy, allowing you to bend and even break some of its major rules. This is your game now, and you're going to use this opportunity to explore new places, wrap up loose ends, and maybe even form some relationships!There's only one problem with that: You've killed before --twice-- and your LV shows it.





	1. Prologue

"Mnghh..." Your head is pounding, and your entire body aches. "Ugh, what did I do last night?" you mumble to yourself. You open your eyes, squinting at the bright sunlight shining directly down on you. You turn your head to the side, accidentally getting some of the yellow flowers in your mouth.

.....Wait.

Yellow flowers?

Where are you? Now fully awake, you open your eyes all the way and sit up.

...Ouch, ok, bad idea. Everything hurts.

Now that you're sitting up, you're able to get a better view of your whereabouts. A giant bed of flowers lies below you, and light shines down from a hole above. You're in an underground cave of some sort. The smooth walls around you lead to what you assume is a tunnel off to the side. Something about this scene seems vaguely familiar, but you can't seem to put your finger on it. Either way, you assume that you should probably get up and start looking around.

A stream of curses flies from your mouth as you attempt to stand up. The popping and creaking of your joints is accompanied by a helpful reminder from your body that you probably just fell who knows how far into a fucking _mountain_ of all places. Regardless, you’re able to make it onto two feet. After some stumbling after nearly tripping over a root, you’re finally somewhat stable.

You pace around the perimeter of the cave to double check if you missed anything from your initial once-over of the area. It seems as if the only way out it through the passage to the side, so that’s where you decide to go.

You spend the trip down the hallway lost in your thoughts. Everything about this situation seems so familiar, but why? You have a feeling you’re missing something big here, and not knowing what it is frustrates you to no end. What is it about waking up in a bed of golden flowers that seems so goddamn important? You stop for a moment to collect your thoughts. 

“ _Think_ ,” you say out loud, “I apparently fell down a hole. I woke up on a bed of flowers. Everything hurts, and I’m in an underground cave.” You pause.

Underground.

Golden flowers.

A thought that had previously been pushed to the back of your mind begins to form. _Could you_... _no_... _could you possibly_... _no way_... 

Could you possibly be in _Undertale_?

A part of you thinks no, that's crazy. But another part of you brings up the multiverse theory, and that the concept of Undertale could exist as another universe. But, your skeptical side argues, how would you even end up in another universe? You hesitate for a second before your mind goes all sorts of places. Maybe a deal with a demon, a genie, fucking... Rick Sanchez busting through your window and announcing that you're 'going on an adventure--' ...You scoff at your overimaginitive mind. As cool as it would be to somehow end up in fucking _Undertale_ of all places, your logical side knows that it could never happen.

...Probably.

You decide to keep walking down the path. Debating with yourself over whether or not you could possibly be in a fictional reality is fun and all, but you really have to keep moving if you want to make it out of here before you starve to death or something. Filled with a new sense of purpose ~~don't think about determination~~ , you carry on with your exploration.

\-----

When you eventually reach another room at the end of the hallway, you notice a singular yellow flower growing at the center.

No way…

You step into the room, and the flower moves, turning its smiling face towards you.

Holy _shit._

"Howdy, I'm Flowey! Flowey the flower!"

Oh this is gonna be _fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> alternate title: how in fresh hell did i end up in mcfucking undertale of all places


	2. Oh, The Irony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a little something about the reader and continue to break the fourth wall

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had this chapter mostly written for a couple days now and I got hung up on a couple details, but I finished it! ...Just. Just take it. I don't want to look at it anymore lmao
> 
> Oh also please tell me if you see any mistakes! I don't care how minor they are lol, I'll fix 'em.

“Howdy! I’m Flowey, Flowey the Flower!”

“Yeah, I know,” you say. You’re practically giddy, and you can’t help but grin as you realize the reality of your situation. 

Reality. Ha.

“You’re new to the underground, arentcha?”

“You could say that,” you reply with a small smirk on your face.

If Flowey is surprised at the interruption, he doesn’t show it. “Golly, you must be so confused,” Flowey continues, seemingly ignoring you.

“Not really,” you say. You wonder if this is going to be just like the game. How far can you take things off their usual path, if you're even able to change things at all? You tune back into Flowey’s little monologue, tons of different scenarios running through your head.

Should you play dumb, or have some fun?

You sit down. Flowey is staring at you. You wonder if he’s finally processed your replies.

“Listen, Flowey,” you begin. “Since I have you here and you aren’t trying to kill me just yet, I thought we could cut the 'innocent' bullshit and talk for a bit about… y’know… things.”

Flowey’s slightly shocked expression melts into a grin. “You’re new,” he says smugly.

“Yep,” you reply.

“You seem to know what’s going on here.”

“Sure do”

“Tell me why” 

Damn, pushy. You like it.

...Not enough to give him a straight answer though. You grin and shrug. “Dunno”

The flower squints. “You’re lying”

“So what if I am? I don’t have to tell you everything about me”

“I’ll kill you”

“Toriel will rescue me.” Probably.

“I’d like to see her _try_ ” Flowey pulls you into an encounter and summons his infamous “friendliness pellets.” You’d be lying if you said you weren’t a little nervous at this point. 

Still, nerves won’t stop you from being as annoying as humanly (or monsterly) possible. “Ohhhh noooo,” you bring a hand to your forehead, “Not the _friendliness pellets!_ ” You burst out into giggles. You’ve always had a flair for the dramatics, but you could never keep a straight face when doing so. Probably why you never got anywhere in the entertainment industry.

Gah. Focus.

You manage to barely dodge a burst of bullets, thanking the stars that you were able to figure out how to make your soul move. Speaking of your soul, now that you get a look at it, you’re pretty fucking awestruck. The heart-shaped bundle of magic and whatever-the-fuck else glows dark blue against the black background of the battle encounter. If you’re remembering correctly, dark blue means integrity. Figures. 

...Why do you get distracted so easily?

You attempt to dodge another flurry of bullets, but you’re not fast enough. You wince as a stray bullet hits your soul, damaging your HP. Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck. You quickly check your health status. 

HP 177 / 196

...Holy hell.

In hindsight, it makes sense that you’d have more HP than a ten (maybe??) year old kid, but even accounting for that, this is a lot. Sudden realization dawns on you, causing you to slowly slide your vision to the left.

Your LOVE…

It’s...it’s at _40?_ You...didn’t even know it could go that high…

Oh, it must have something to do with... You let out a shaky sigh and banish that thought to the back of your mind. What a shitty reminder of your sins.

...

It seems like Flowey noticed too.

“Wow, you’re kind of a freak, huh?”

“Yep.” Like hell were you going to show weakness to Flowey of all people. ...Monsters? Things? Soulless husks? Whatever.

“Who did you kill? A friend, a family member?” he says. You grit your teeth.

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” you say. Maybe if you can keep this shitty conversation going you can find a weakness. Normal game mechanics don’t seem to work with Flowey, which you suppose makes sense since he’s a rule-defying “bad guy.”

Still, it’s annoying as hell.

Flowey rolls his eyes as he readies another attack. “Whatever,” he says. “This just means that I don’t have to hold back.” He gives you a sadistic grin and fires.

Well fuck.

Clusters of white bullets head straight for your soul at alarming speeds, and you scramble to dodge all of them. Unfortunately, you’re caught a bit off guard and get hit again. You fight the urge to scowl, knowing that your pain will only egg Flowey on. You can’t believe yourself! You’ve been in hundreds of fights on the Surface and won the majority of them, so how is this any different?

Focus. You just need to focus. You compose yourself and check your hp. 158 isn’t too bad, but there’s still a big difference from what you had before.

Time to get serious. Now that you're really paying attention, the first thing you notice is that Flowey just... doesn't give you a turn. He's setting himself up to throw attacks at you over and over until you presumably die. In your humble opinion, that's not really fair. The second thing you realize is that Toriel probably isn't going to show up until you're at 1 hp. While that's a nice fallback plan, you are definitely not going to let a _flower_ beat the ever-loving shit out of you if you can help it.

All you have to do is figure out a way to either disengage the fight, land a hit on Flowey, or just run the fuck away. You start brainstorming ways to get out of the situation, which, mind you, is pretty damn hard to do while attempting to dodge bullets fired by a flower who's hell-bent on killing you.

You try to piece together an explanation behind Flowey's general ability to ignore the rules of this world. _In the end_ , you think, _it all comes down to some good ol' fourth wall fuckery_ . ...And considering your, eh, special knowledge, you're pretty damn sure you can dish out more fourth wall fuckery than Flowey can even _begin_ to think of.

You grin as a plan begins to take form in your head. _Time to kick a flower's leafy ass._

You feel out the binds and limits of your soul just to make sure you can actually do what you need to do. It'll be a long shot, but what other option do you really have?

"Hey Flowy!" you shout. The aforementioned flower startles and misses his attack.

He scowls and hisses "What."

"I could do better than that in my _sleep_ !" You taunt him, biding time to prepare for what you're about to do. You concentrate, feeling the connection you have with your soul. Through sheer willpower, you solidify that connection, and _pull_.

_But nothing happened_.

You steal a glance at Flowey and fight back a horrified gasp. Various attacks are queued up all around him, and he looks _pissed_.

“Just… DIE ALREADY” he yells, throwing all of the bullets at you at once. You look around for an opening to escape, but they’re coming at your soul from all sides.

Except one. 

You only have a few seconds to think, and in a fraction of that time, you know what you have to do. Gritting your teeth, you summon every ounce of willpower you possess, feeling it run hot through your veins. 

DETERMINATION.

With your newfound conviction, you tug at your soul once more. Backlash from the universe itself hits you, telling you that you _can’t_ , that it isn’t _possible_.

**But you refused.**

With hundreds of bullets just a fraction of a second away from splitting your soul open, you give one final pull.

The bullets collided.

_You’re still alive._

“WHAT?!?” Flowey screeches, staring at your untouched soul in shock. His disbelief only seems to grow as he watches your soul slowly float back towards you.

You sigh in relief when you feel your soul settle into its rightful place in your chest.

There’s a beat of silence.

“HOW?” Flowey asks in exasperation.

You smile and pick yourself off the ground. “Well,” you begin, dusting yourself off, “I kinda just… pulled my soul out of the battle encounter. It’s a real shame that you monsters can only fight in two-dimensional boxes.” You smirked at Flowey’s stupefied expression. An expression that was currently reverting back to its “pissed off” state.

You suppose that’s your cue to leave.

“As fun as this was,” you say, “I think I’ll go find Toriel now.” You saunter towards the room’s exit, not sparing a second glance backwards. “Seeya in a few, Asriel.”

You exit the area, being extra sure to flip the bird at him on your way out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All that determination bullshit will be explained later don't you worry lol
> 
> Tell me what you think!
> 
> ...If you want. 
> 
> No pressure...


	3. Toriel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You wake up in Toriel's bed and the two of you have a chitchat. Feelings are thrown into the mix.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heyooo I'm back bitches! I switched this fic over to a different account name cuz of identity issues (i'm not non-suspicious on tumblr lol). I'm also forced to write on moble for the next couple of months until I can get my computer, so that's fun x.x Literally all that matters now is that the total word count is at 4,020. Blaze it and enjoy the chapter!

Upon waking up in an unfamiliar place for the second time in the same day, you wonder what your life has come to. Not all your senses return to you at once, which just makes you even more disoriented.

When your sense of touch makes itself known, you realize two things. The first thing is that wherever you are is comfortable at least. You feel like you're on a cloud, although that could just be because you're still somewhat disoriented. The second thing you realize is that everything still hurts. A lot. What the fuck did you even do to be in this much pain? Even your worst fights on the Surface didn't make you feel this awful.

You cough. “Right,” you say out loud to yourself. Your voice is a bit raspy, but is otherwise fine. Your ribs ache, but your lungs feel fine. “Fucking Flowey,” you say, moving to sit up.

Only for a large fluffy paw to appear out of nowhere and push you down.

“Gah, what the hell?”

“Language!” a decidedly motherly voice scolds. “Stay there, my child.” You hear muffled footsteps heading away from you, and suddenly your surroundings are flooded with light. You have to squint to see through the brightness. A vaguely person-shaped figure leans over you. You tense as it reaches towards you, and relax when all it does is brush the hair out of your face.

Finally, your vision clears, revealing the mystery person to be a giant goat monster. You panic for a second before remembering everything that had previously happened.

So you're somehow in Undertale. You get that. And the person currently fussing over you is Toriel. That much is obvious. However, no matter how obvious and expected that might seem, no amount of preparedness could lessen the impact of seeing a _giant goat monster_ in the flesh.

...In the dust?

Whatever.

The point is, you haven't moved from your frozen, wide-eyed state for at least a minute, and Toriel is looking worried.

You blink twice and force a smile. “Sup, T- stranger.” Well that didn't go as well as you hoped it would. You clear your throat and blow the hair out of your face. “Um. So. Quick question,” you say, “What's going on?”

Toriel laughs at your awkwardness and sits at the edge of the bed. “Relax, my child. I am not going to hurt you. I merely found you on my daily walk to the outer caves and brought you to my home.” She smiled gently and put her paw on your shoulder before her expression darkened. “You were lying on the ground down the hall from the ruins entrance. I attempted to wake you but you were… unresponsive.”

Huh, that explains a lot. You must have passed out after your encounter with Flowey. You guess things could have gone worse, but it sucks that you weren't able to go through the Ruins the traditional way. Oh well, you can always explore later. It's not like you're in any rush to keep moving forward.

You tune back in to catch the end of Toriel’s dialogue. “-pie because while I did my best to heal you of all your physical injuries, you need to maintain your energy. Now stay here while I get it, please.” You nod, putting together that Toriel most likely made you pie. Toriel rises from her spot on the bed and leaves the room.

Without Toriel in the immediate vicinity, you're able to observe your surroundings. You realize with a start that you're not in Frisk’s room as you had suspected, but in Toriel's room. You must not have fit in a kid-sized bed, which is understandable considering you're not a kid.

Toriel's bed smells nice.

And it's really, _really_ comfortable. You're practically being swallowed by the soft, fluffy sheets.

Soft, fluffy goat mom…

“Nooooo,” you whine, pulling the pillow on top of your face to muffle your voice and hide the heat on your face. You really don't want to think about this right now. 

Don't think about it, don't think about it- you're in her room you're in her _bed_. You groan in frustration.

Ok, you _may or may not_ have an embarrassing crush on Toriel. It's been more or less repressed for....a couple years at this point, and it's nowhere near as strong as your feelings for certain _other_ characters in the game, but it's still there.

Hoo boy, it's there.

Welp, here comes Toriel with the pie.

“I apologise, my child. Your arrival was quite sudden. All I had time to prepare was leftover snail pie heated with fire magic.” Snail pie, eh? It's a bit out of your usual choices in food items, but not entirely unheard of.

You shrug and take the plate. “It's aight, Tori. I'm always open to trying new things,” you say.

“Child, are you sick? You look flushed,” Toriel says, moving over to sit next to you. She places her paw on your forehead, which only makes you blush harder.

“Uh, yeah, I must be,” you say, glancing to the side.

“You poor thing,” Toriel says and hands you a fork. “Try eating the pie and see if you feel better.” You gratefully take the utensil and dig in.

“This is really good,” you say, practically inhaling the slice. It was easy to forget how hungry you were since you've been busy fighting an annoying flower and breaking the laws of physics to avoid dying. “Thanks, Tori.” You hand the plate back to her.

Toriel smiles before looking confused. “I’m glad you like the pie, but how exactly did you know my name?”

Shiiiiit. Damage control, you need damage control. “Uhhhhhh.” You look around the room and your eyes land on her desk. “Your, uh, name was written on the cover of that journal over there,” you say, looking to the side.

You hold your breath and watch as she turns around to look where you were pointing. “Oh!” she exclaims. She walks over to the desk, grabs the journal, and brings it over to you. “Do you mean this, my child?” You nod.

“Is it like a diary or something?” you ask in an attempt to shift the conversation topic away from you.

“Actually,” Toriel begins, “it's a joke book I'm writing.

“A joke book?” you ask, internally relaxing.

“Yes! I have developed a passion for puns, knock-knock jokes and the like, so I'm compiling jokes of all kinds into this book,” Toriel answers with a smile on her face.

“Are you planning on selling it or something?” you ask, genuinely intrigued.

“Oh no, I could never do that,” Toriel answers, “This is merely a passion project.” She flips through a few pages, landing on a page with skeleton jokes. “Although, I do plan on telling these to a friend.”

“Huh,” you say. “Is your friend a skeleton?”

“Oh no,” Toriel says. “Well, he may be. I actually don't know what he looks like.” You're pretty sure she’s talking about Sans, but you'll ask some more questions just to be safe.

“So are you guys like internet friends or…?”

“Our situation is a bit… unique. We actually talk through the door that separates the Ruins and Snowdin.”

“And I assume those are different towns?”

“Precisely, my child. You see, there are five sections of the Underground: The Ruins, Snowdin, Waterfall, Hotland, and New Home. Most of the monsters in the Underground have moved out of the Ruins and into the farther areas, but I chose to stay here.” You nod again in understanding. “The Ruins is sealed off from the rest of the Underground now,” Toriel continues before looking you in the eye, “So you're safe here.”

You shiver at the serious tone her voice took and take a deep breath. “No offense Toriel,” you begin, “but I'm not a kid. I think I'd be perfectly capable of defending myself if I ever need to.” You study her face before continuing. “As much as I love your company, I'm eventually going to have to leave if I ever want to get back to the Surface.”

“...” Toriel's mouth is set in a hard line, and she's gripping the sheets with her paws. That probably isn't good.

In an attempt to fill the silence and save face, you try to make your case. “I really owe ya one for fixing me up, but as soon as I'm fully healed I'll be ready to face anything. I'm a twenty-something year old person, not a little kid.”

Toriel looks conflicted for a second, then sighs. “I know that by human standards you are considered an adult. It's just...difficult for me to see you as anything but a child, especially considering the fact that I am well over a hundred years old.”

Yikes, that probably kills any chance you had with her. Perhaps it's for the best, though. It was probably never going to happen anyway.

“I can't help but feel the need to protect the humans that fall down here from having their souls collected,” Toriel continues. “My attempts have never worked. Evey child that has fallen down here has met their demise at the hands of **Him**.”

The sheer amount of disgust in her voice at the mention of Asgore shocks you, but not more so than the tears falling down her face. A wave of empathy washes over you, and you feel tears prick at the back of your eyes as well. You wrap your arms around her, laying your face on her shoulder. There's a beat of stillness before you feel her return the hug.

The two of you stay in that position for a while, a comfortable silence between you.

You eventually lean back from the hug so that you can look her in the eye. “Toriel,” you say, “I promise you that I will get to the Surface in one piece, no matter what it takes.”

“How can I be sure?” she asks.

You take a deep breath. “On the Surface,” you begin, “I fought for a living. I was well-known in certain circles as someone who rarely lost a fight. People would bet on me, and I would take a cut of the earnings. It wasn't the most glamorous (or legal) way of living, but it paid the bills.” You take another breath and continue. “What I'm trying to say is that I have experience. I can take whatever they throw at me.”

Toriel studies you as if sizing you up. You sweat a little under her gaze, but otherwise don't back down. Toriel squints at you before sighing in defeat. “I can see that you are determined, my child. I cannot stop you. I believe in your abilities, but I worry that you aren't prepared for everything you will face on your journey.”

“Do you think you can ask your friend to guide me?” Of course you already know exactly what's going to happen later on, and that Sans is an incompetent piece of shit. However, you're perfectly fine with suggesting that option if it'll ease Toriel's worries.

“What a terrific idea! I will talk to him tomorrow when we meet. I'm afraid that it is too late now,” Toriel says apologetically.

“That's alright, Tori,” you say, “I'm tired anyways.” You yawn as if on cue, and Toriel gasps.

“Oh my child, I did not mean to keep you up!” She quickly stands up and grabs your finished plate.

“You're fine, Tori,” you laugh, settling back under the covers. “G’night!”

“Good night, my child,” Toriel says, turning off the lights. The door clicks closed, and you shut your eyes. You listen to Toriel's footsteps as they fade down the hall. With a smile on your face, you fall asleep.

You dream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soo reader had a crush on Toriel that died pretty fuckin fast lol. I have literally no idea where that came from...
> 
> No
> 
> Idea
> 
> (Also do you guys think the spacing is weird? I might go back through the last few chapters and change it but I dunno)


	4. UPDATE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see! I would like to start this my saying that I AM NOT GIVING UP ON THIS FIC! It's been insanely busy for me these past few months, and I've been all over the place. To give you some scale, I'm actually in Poland right now visiting family (I live in the U.S.). I've been thinking about this fic a lot, and I just wanted to drop this little update in here so I don't leave you guys hanging.
> 
> The bad news is that I will continue to be busy for the next couple of weeks (at least). I just got hit with a huge deadline that I want to focus on for the time being, plus I need to prepare for the new school year. (Pray for me guys lmao)
> 
> The good news is that I already have about half of the next chapter written, which will be replacing this update when it's done. I also have a new pal that's been helping me develop more of the main character's bsckstory and general personality. (Who knew a case of mistaken identity could work out so well?)
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has commented on this fic so far! Special thanks to archive user JustAnotherFaggot, who has comented on every chapter and prompted me to think about things that I wouldn't have considered before. Your comments make my freakin day, dude!
> 
> Anyways, that's about it! See you guys in the next chapter!

skrrrrrrrrrt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> edit: moved this update to the notes so it doesn't interfere with the word count of the fic :P


	5. The Ruins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You spend the day with Toriel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Long time no see, eh? *dodges rotten tomatoes* Alright, so it's been a little more than two weeks. Just a little. Definitely not two months. Totally. 
> 
> It was hell to write, but I got this chapter done. I actually had to split it in two because it was getting too damn long and I wanted to actually get you guys something by the end of the month. So take it, I'm hella tired of looking at it *0*

_Your dreams are a jumbled mess of half-thoughts, half events, half lies_

_Half murders_

_The impassive faces of half-forgotten figures, and the crooked grins of people you were trying very hard to forget_

_Running_  

_Running away from your endless boredom, then running from your mistakes_

_Farther, farther, until you can’t run any more_

_You fall_

-*-*-

Toriel smiles at you as you stumble into the kitchen.

“Got any food?” you ask. “I'm still exhausted from yesterday.” You walk over the fridge and half-heartedly sift through its contents.

Toriel chuckles and waves you away. “There will be no need for that. A pie is warming up in the oven.” Sure enough, she seems to be cleaning up the remains of the aforementioned pie off the counter.

You give the fridge one last glance before closing the door. _No chocolate anyway_ , a voice inside you reasons and you snort before walking away.

“Same as yesterday?” you ask, grabbing two plates from a cabinet and bringing them to the table.

“Not quite,” she answers, “It's a breakfast pie.” She pauses her cleaning, contemplating something. “Isn't there another word for those? I'm afraid it slipped my mind.”

You laugh, “Yeah, there is. It’s a… uhhhhhh…” whatever the word is, it's evading you. “Ugh, I just had it.” You rack your brain for another few seconds before giving up. “Whatever, no harm in calling it breakfast pie, right?”

Now it's Toriel's turn to laugh. “I suppose not,” she agrees. A timer beeps. “Whatever it may be, it's ready now.”

“Hell yeah, let's eat,” you find the utensils in a drawer and bring them to the table as well.

You sit down, a silence passing between the two of you as you wolf down your pie. When you look up from your empty plate, you notice that Toriel has barely eaten, instead opting to stare at you.

“...What’s up, Tori? Something on my face” you ask. She blinks, a sheepish expression making its way across her face.

Heh. _Sheep_ ish.

Toriel sighs heavily, and you quickly turn your attention back to her. 

“I refrained from asking earlier, but what exactly happened yesterday to put you in such a state?”

“…” you hesitate. “...I got in a fight. Well more specifically, I was attacked.” Toriel gasps

“Oh my stars! Do you remember who it was? They're going to get a stern talking to for approaching you in that manner, especially since you were in such a weak state from falling down here.” She makes her way around the table and pulls you into a hug.

You sigh into her embrace. “It's ok Tori, I'm safe now,” you say, your reassurances slightly muffled against her chest. “But, uh,” you hesitate, picking your words carefully, “I couldn’t see who it was. It was kinda dark in there, and the guy was so bullet-happy that I was more focused on dodging than on actually seeing my attacker.” You pull back from the hug and look to the side. “It's kind of a miracle I got outta there alive.”

You're not telling the full truth, but you convince yourself that it's for the best. There's no way you would be able to tell Toriel what really happened without her bringing up even more questions that you _really_ don’t want to answer. Besides, learning about the soulless flower monster that can travel anywhere in the Underground might make her change her mind about letting you go.

The silence between you has gone on for too long, and you wonder if you said something wrong. You tentatively drag your eyes back up to Toriel’s face. She holds a paw over her mouth, and her eyes hold a certain sadness that makes you immediately want to reassure her of your well-being.

Toriel fills the silence for you.

“Child, I would like to teach you about monster battles when you are ready. Even if you think you don’t need my guidance, monster battles are tricky things.” She locks eyes with you, and you sweat under her gaze. Please let me help you so you are prepared for your journey.”

“...Okay, Tori,” you agree, “I’m ready when you are.”

She relaxes, looking pleased with herself, and you smile in return. “Well then,” she begins, “Let’s go, shall we?"

-*-*-

With Toriel as your guide, you end up spending the better part of the day exploring the Ruins. The first few monsters you meet are scared away by Toriel’s death glare before they can engage a fight. You remind her that the whole reason you’re out here in the first place is to learn how monster fights work, and she eventually relents.

And now, here you are. Your first real monster battle. (Flowey doesn’t count, because, well, he’s _Flowey_ , and Flowy doesn’t play by the normal rules of fighting).

A froggit bounces in front of you. The small monster is the only one Toriel is letting you fight besides a whimsun, and that’s only because you begged her to let you go against something other than the fragile and timid-looking monster. Toriel had given you another speech about you being in a “vulnerable state,” which you largely ignored. You were more interested in being able to inspect the battle “screen” up close, now that you finally had the time to.

She’s in the middle of talking about her garden when you interrupt her. While you are interested in the goings-on in her life, you also want to get to the actual fighting before the day ends.

“Can we start the fight now?” you ask, slightly impatient.

“Ah, oh yes, of course,” Toriel replies. “I suppose I was going off on a tangent.” A bit of pink shows from under her fur. “My apologies.”

“It's no prob.” You move to look for the froggit, only to find it still sitting patiently in front of you. What a sweet guy. You guess. He _is_ about to fight you, after all.

You nod once to it, and it ribbits back. The monster hops forward, just enough to get into range. You're not sure what exactly it does to trigger the battle, but before you know it a familiar bell sounds and your surroundings flicker twice before disappearing entirely.

Going into a battle encounter makes everything around you go black. A seemingly endless abyss surrounds you and the froggit. It seems as if you and your opponent are the only things in existence. The only exception to this Toriel, who stands off to the side, ready to intervene if necessary. Both the froggit and Toriel have the color drained from their appearance. You wonder if you are black and white as well. With some difficulty, you are able to tilt your head down to look at your hands. They appear to be pure white. Whelp, there's one question answered.

You inspect the battle area next. To no one's surprise, it looks exactly like it does in the game. A two-dimensional black box with white lines. Your soul is positioned on the **FIGHT** button, and you quickly move it over to **ACT**. You don't even want to entertain the slightest notion of fighting. Not while the wound is still fresh.

**_*Froggit hopped close!_ **

You smile at the flavor text, and select the **ACT** button.

***Froggit**

***Check** ***Compliment**

***Threat**

You decide to **Check** Froggit.

***FROGGIT - ATK 4 DEF 5**

***Life is difficult for this enemy**

Aw. Poor guy.

“Croak, croak.”

You dodge a frog.

***Froggit hops to and fro.**

**ACT**

***Froggit**

***Check** ***Compliment**

***Threat**

You choose to **Compliment** Froggit.

**_*Froggit didn’t understand what you said, but was flattered anyway._ **

Yay, one point in your favor.

“(Blushes deeply.) Ribbit…”

You fumble a bit while dodging the flies, but manage to get through the attack unscathed.

***Froggit seems reluctant to fight you.**

Whelp, you know what that means. You move your soul over to the **MERCY** button, taking a moment to savor the sensation.

This is fucking iconic.

***Spare**

***Flee**

You **Spare** Froggit.

***YOU WON!**

***You earned 0 XP and 2 gold.**

The screen fades out, and suddenly you’re back to reality.* You take a moment to reorient yourself.

“How’d I do?” you ask, turning to face Toriel.

“Oh child, you did wonderfully!” She looks… proud of you. That's a first.

“Would you mind doing some more battles with slightly harder monsters?” Toriel asks.

You smile, clearing your head of negative thoughts. “Sure, why not?”

The day goes about relatively normally. Or, as normal as it can get when you're trapped underground in a fictional universe.

You're beginning to get a rhythm going with all the monster battles. You earn enough money to buy a few spider donuts, which you secure in one of your pockets for later. You're making more friends in one day than you’ve made in your entire life, and you're strangely okay with that. It's not like your surface situation put you in a good position to make friends anyway.

The point is, you're finally beginning to feel a sense of normalcy in your strange situation. That is, until you notice the Save Point.

When you see it, you almost choke on your donut.

“What's wrong?” Toriel asks, patting you on the back as you cough your lungs out.

“It's nothing, Tori. I just thought I saw something.” Half-truth. She doesn’t look convinced, but drops it anyway.

When Toriel turns away, you look at it again. It’s still there, floating innocently next to a table with cheese on it. Taunting you. Cementing the fact that _you’re inside a videogame_. And yeah, maybe you should’ve expected it considering pretty much every other function works like the rpg, but for some reason, you didn’t think about it until now.

Something about it just feels fundamentally wrong, like you shouldn’t be looking at it. Like it shouldn’t exist. Like a large part of you isn’t allowing it to be there. Like… your soul. It’s blue. Integrity, not Determination. You’re not supposed to see the Save Point, because your Soul Trait isn’t time travel. ...Right? But then, why is it there? Can you even use it? Are your assumptions about Soul Traits wrong? If so, why did the fallen children before you choose to die?

And most importantly, if the Save Points exist for you in this reality, do other things exist here too? Like…

You think back to the voice you heard that morning. The narration you read in the various battles. You had dismissed the voice as a stray thought at the time, and you had assumed that the battle narration was just a part of the system, but what if it was something else? What if it was...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jeebus creepus could it be? Da demon child themself? Sorry not sorry for the cliffhanger. The chapter was originally going to have a few scenes after this, but I had to move them to next chapter to save some time. 
> 
> Reader's finally gonna leave next chapter (I hope). I'm giving this thing way too much plot lol
> 
> edit: Fixed the spacing. I think it looks better like this, but I dunno


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